Injection printing via shell deposition and cavity filling

Abstract

A printed component, printing process, and apparatus providing (i) a printed shell defines an internal cavity having a height greater than the height of one layer of the provided shell and a width greater than one road of a printed shell, (ii) the internal cavity at least partially filled with injected material, and (iii) the material composing the internal cavity defining one or more interlocks with the material composing the printed shell. Various embodiments are described comprising the use of multiple materials, diverging and converging walls, continuous and intermittent injections of the filled cavities, inserted components, and various monitoring and control methods. Via techniques as described herein, the printing time of an object fabricated via additive printing is while also increasing the strength and quality of the printed components.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method of 3D printing comprising:
 dispensing a first material to fabricate a first wall and a second wall on a substrate, the dispensed first material producing the first wall and the second wall that define a cavity, each of the first wall and the second wall produced from multiple planar layers of the dispensed first material, wherein the first wall is fabricated at a first height with respect to the substrate, wherein the second wall is fabricated at a second height with respect to the substrate, the second height being equivalent to the first height; 
 contacting a distal surface of a nozzle to respective surfaces of the first wall and the second wall, the contacting forming a seal between the distal surface of the nozzle and the respective surfaces of the first wall and the second wall, wherein the distal surface of the nozzle forming the seal is in contact with both: i) a first flat surface disposed on a top planar layer of the first wall, and ii) a second flat surface disposed on a top planar layer of the second wall; 
 injecting a second material through the nozzle into the cavity between the first wall and the second wall, wherein a width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall is greater than a width of the first wall, wherein the width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall is greater than a width of the second wall; and 
 repeating operations of the dispensing, the contacting, and the injecting to produce a printed part having regions of layer-wise printed material via the dispensing of the first material and regions of bulk filled material via the injecting of the second material, wherein the regions of bulk printed material are larger than the regions of layer-wise printed material. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the first material is the same as the second material. 
     
     
       3. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the second material is different than the first material. 
     
     
       4. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the second material injected into the cavity becomes interlocked with the first wall and the second wall based on variations in the width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall. 
     
     
       5. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the distal surface of the nozzle is a distal planar surface of the nozzle in contact with the respective surfaces of the first wall and the second wall; and
 wherein a diameter of the distal planar surface of the nozzle is greater than the width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall. 
 
     
     
       6. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall varies. 
     
     
       7. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the first wall and the second wall define multiple cavities. 
     
     
       8. The method as in  claim 7 , wherein the nozzle is indexed to inject material to two or more of the multiple cavities. 
     
     
       9. The method as in  claim 7 , wherein the multiple cavities are offset in multiple directions. 
     
     
       10. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein injecting the second material into the cavity between the first wall and the second wall includes: i) moving the nozzle with respect to a lengthwise axis of the cavity; and ii) dispensing the second material into the cavity as the nozzle is moved along the lengthwise axis. 
     
     
       11. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein dispensing the first material includes:
 via first passes of dispensing the first material to fabricate the first wall and the second wall: i) dispensing a first path of the first material onto a first region of the substrate, the first path being disposed at a first layer of the first wall, and ii) dispensing a second path of the first material onto a second region of the substrate, the second path being disposed at a first layer of the second wall; and 
 via second passes of dispensing the first material to fabricate the first wall and the second wall: i) dispensing a third path of the first material onto the first layer of the first wall, the third path being disposed at a second layer of the first wall, and ii) dispensing a fourth path of the first material onto the first layer of the second wall, the fourth path being disposed at a second layer of the second wall. 
 
     
     
       12. The method as in  claim 11 , wherein dispensing the first material further includes:
 via third passes of dispensing the first material to fabricate the first wall and the second wall: i) dispensing a fifth path of the first material onto the second layer of the first wall, the fifth path being disposed at a third layer of the first wall, and ii) dispensing a sixth path of the first material onto the second layer of the second wall, the sixth path being disposed at a third layer of the second wall. 
 
     
     
       13. The method as in  claim 12 , wherein the width of the first wall is defined by a single pass of dispensing the first material; and
 wherein the width of the second wall is defined by a single pass of dispensing the first material. 
 
     
     
       14. The method as in  claim 11 , wherein the cavity is a first cavity;
 wherein a space between a first surface of the first wall and a first surface of the second wall defines the first cavity; 
 wherein the first surface of the first wall is disposed on a first facing of the first wall; and 
 wherein a second surface of the first wall defines a second cavity, the second surface of the first wall disposed on a second facing of the first wall, the second facing disposed opposite the first facing. 
 
     
     
       15. The method as in  claim 11 , wherein the width of the first wall is created and defined by a single pass of a print head dispensing the first path of the first material onto the first region of the substrate; and
 wherein the width of the second wall is created and defined by a single pass of the print head dispensing the second path of the first material onto the second region of the substrate. 
 
     
     
       16. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the width of the first wall is defined by a first single pass of a printer head dispensing the first material; and
 wherein the width of the second wall is defined by a second single pass of the printer head dispensing the first material. 
 
     
     
       17. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the cavity is a first cavity, the method further comprising:
 dispensing the first material to fabricate a third wall on the substrate, a space between the second wall and the third wall defining a second cavity, the third wall produced from multiple layers of the dispensed first material. 
 
     
     
       18. The method as in  claim 17 , wherein a width of the second cavity between the second wall and the third wall is greater than the width of the second wall and a width of the third wall. 
     
     
       19. The method as in  claim 5 , wherein a bore size of the nozzle dispensing the first material is less than the width of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall; and
 wherein the distal surface is a planar distal surface, the planar distal surface being wider than the width of the cavity. 
 
     
     
       20. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the distal surface is a planar distal surface of the nozzle;
 wherein contacting the planar distal surface of the nozzle to the respective surfaces of the first wall and the second wall includes: 
 via the planar distal surface of the nozzle, compressing the first wall and the second wall, the compressing forming the seal between the planar distal surface of the nozzle and the respective surfaces of the first wall and the second wall. 
 
     
     
       21. The method as in  claim 20 , wherein compressing the first wall and the second wall temporarily reduces a height of the first wall and a height of the second wall with respect to a surface of the substrate to which the first wall and second wall are affixed. 
     
     
       22. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein injecting second material through the nozzle into the cavity between the first wall and the second wall causes temporary outward deflection of the first wall and the second wall with respect to the cavity. 
     
     
       23. The method as in  claim 22 , wherein a temperature of the second material injected into the cavity reduces over time, causing volumetric shrinkage of the injected second material in the cavity. 
     
     
       24. The method as in  claim 23 , wherein injecting the second material through the nozzle into the cavity includes:
 controlling a pressure associated with dispensing the second material through the nozzle into the cavity during the dispensing to compensate for the volumetric shrinkage of the second material injected into the cavity. 
 
     
     
       25. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the second material is injected through the nozzle into the cavity at a volumetric rate of greater than 12.5 cubic millimeters per second. 
     
     
       26. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the width of the first wall is defined by a single pass of a print head dispensing the first material onto a first region of the substrate; and
 wherein the width of the second wall is defined by a single pass of the print head dispensing the first material onto a second region of the substrate. 
 
     
     
       27. The method as in  claim 11 , wherein the width of the first wall is created and defined by a single pass of a print head dispensing the first path of the first material onto the first region of the substrate; and
 wherein the width of the second wall is created and defined by a single pass of the print head dispensing the second path of the first material onto the second region of the substrate. 
 
     
     
       28. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein a thermal mass of the injected second material in the cavity is operative to provide heat to: i) a first interface between the injected second material in the cavity and the first wall, and ii) a second interface between the injected second material in cavity and the second wall. 
     
     
       29. The method as in  claim 28 , wherein the multiple planar layers include: i) first planar layers of the first material in the first wall, and ii) second planar layers of the first material in the second wall;
 wherein the first interface is a first interlocking interface formed via variations in print widths within each layer of the first planar layers of the first material in the first wall; and 
 wherein the second interface is a second interlocking interface formed via variations in print widths within each layer of second planar layers of the first material in the second wall. 
 
     
     
       30. The method as in  claim 1 , wherein the multiple planar layers include: i) first planar layers of the first material in the first wall, and ii) second planar layers of the first material in the second wall;
 wherein the first wall includes a first interlocking interface with the second material injected into the cavity, the first interlocking interface formed via variations in widths of the dispensed first material within each printed layer of the first planar layers in the first wall; and 
 wherein the second wall includes a second interlocking interface with the second material injected into the cavity, the second interlocking interface formed via variations in widths of the dispensed first material within each printed layer of the second planar layers in the second wall. 
 
     
     
       31. A 3-D printed component comprising:
 a first material dispensed onto a substrate, the dispensed first material producing a first wall and a second wall that define a cavity, each of the first wall and the second wall produced from multiple layers of the first dispensed material; 
 a second material injected into the cavity between the first wall and the second wall, the second material injected into the cavity being interlocked with the first wall and the second wall based on variations in widths of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall; 
 wherein the widths of the cavity between the first wall and the second wall are greater than a width of the first wall and a width of the second wall; and 
 wherein regions of bulk printed material fabricated from the second material in the 3-D component are volumetrically larger than regions of layer-wise printed material fabricated from the first material in the 3-D component. 
 
     
     
       32. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 31 , wherein the first material is the same as the second material. 
     
     
       33. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 31 , wherein the second material is different than the first material. 
     
     
       34. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 31 , wherein the first wall and the second wall define multiple cavities. 
     
     
       35. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 31 , wherein the second material is injected through a bore of a nozzle into the cavity between the first wall and the second wall via: i) movement of the nozzle with respect to a lengthwise axis of the cavity; and ii) dispensing of the second material into the cavity as the nozzle is moved along the lengthwise axis. 
     
     
       36. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 31 , wherein the dispensed first material in the first wall occupies a first volume;
 wherein the injected second material in the cavity occupies a second volume; and 
 wherein the second volume is greater in magnitude than the first volume. 
 
     
     
       37. The 3-D printed component as in  claim 36 , wherein the dispensed first material in the second wall occupies a third volume; and
 wherein the second volume is greater in magnitude than the third volume.